The Amazing Ability to Adapt.

A couple of days ago, I was in the mood for pizza. Instead of getting it delivered, I decided I was going to walk there instead. It was a leisure 20 minute walk, and it was a nice walk.

I get to the pizza place, and I ask what time they close. A woman with an English accent tells me, "We will be closing in about 5 minutes." What happened next was truly interesting. I replied to her, "I would like to order something, but I don't want to be a bother." The weird part was that I said it in an English accent! I do not normally have an English accent and I was amazed that I subconsciously gained this accent while talking to this particular person.

Have you ever noticed this? I have noticed that depending on who I am talking to, after a while, I will start talking like them. It is like I am altering the way I speak in order to communicate with various people, and usually it is on a subconscious level.

Just felt like sharing this cool little story. Do you have anything to add in the way of humans and adaptability and such?

Yes I know what you mean, but instead of accents, it can be the way you act as well, some people are quite different around every person they meet.

Sorry.
2nd

reply to post by SolarE-Souljah


i lived in dresden east germany for five years but drank in an irish bar , as i was learning to speak german i listened to the music of the language so as to get the pronunciation correct .
now apart from the germans in the bar there was irish , dutch , scotish , south africans , australians and americans . so as you can imagine when i came back to the uk my accent was so screwed up no one could tell where i came from .

reply to post by SolarE-Souljah


Sure, anytime I hear a French or Spanish/Mexican accent, I just start speaking their language without even thinking about it. It's weird, but it makes sense... I guess.

That happens to me all the time, OP, and it is really embarrassing because people think I am mocking them but I don't even realize I am doing it. It happens especially strong with European and Australian accents. Any time I put on my head-set and talk to guys from there my voice just like automatically starts having their accent and they start laughing at me. I just have to wonder "What are they laughing at?" and then they point out my voice.

From the day we are born, we mimic our parents and our environment in every way, as a reference to what is correct or incorrect (rightfully so or not). So, we also learn to speak from them... doodoo dada and all the rest. Same tone, voice rises and falls, same words, same pronunciation etc. It continues throughout life. It's a good talent to have, and also mean you're a good listener and fall into pace with the one you're having a conversation with, like being in sync. Having traveled the world extensively, it always gave me great help to intimately learn a language and understand the subtle nuances of its speech.

Thanks OP, language is a fascinating subject to study and use well.

I think that many of us can do that, have you ever gotten a call and someone thinks your a different family member?

Almost 90% of my jobs were telemarketing, and I was very successful because I was able to change my tone for all my calls, especially since they were calls from all over the US, if it was southern caller I could do a southern accent, it didn't matter if you were older, I would talk slower, and anyone from a fast place like NYC, or Cali, I could finish your order in record time.

I can do that mostly on the phone, but am not really a "people" person, so I cant "act" a certain way, but on the phone it was a bit creepy at times.

Peace, NRE.

I know what you mean OP. I think it is subconscious, us trying to communciate better with who ever it is we are with.

This reminds me of mirroring, a psychological term. It refers to when a person copies or mirrors the body language of the person they are with, whether subconsciously or consciously. I know I do it consciously sometimes, but many times I find myself, my mannerisms, and accents moulding into what I perceive to be the best possible for communciation between me and the person who's with me.

The drawback is that some people become offended when they see you do one thing and then change afterwards, especially accents. I deliberately need to retain my individuality when I feel them get upset.

The subsconious is worlds beyond us. =)

Come on, tell us the truth! You were looking at her tits when you said it and that affected your voice.

Ribbit